King County Prosecutor on possible Trump attack on vote-by-mail: ‘We are prepared to respond’

King County Elections reports about 30% of ballots have been returned by mail so far

District 3 covering Capitol Hill and the Central District has notched just above a 34% turnout — expect a final surge with younger “late voters” headed for the drop box (Source: King County Elections)

King County’s top lawyer says she is ready to battle in court to protect Seattle voters.

Ahead of Election Day, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion highlighted key legal battles her office is leading to protect vote-by-mail systems, voter privacy, and local election administration from federal overreach.

“On the eve of election day, I want to reassure our King County communities that we are closely monitoring any attacks on our election process, and we are prepared to respond with litigation where necessary and appropriate,” Manion said in the announcement.

According to the briefing, Manion joined litigation in *United States Postal Service v. California,* helping secure a Supreme Court order that blocked federal plans to alter mail-in ballot procedures mid-cycle. The proposed rules would have mandated new ballot envelope approvals, unvetted federal portal entries, and in-person postal scanning, potentially disenfranchising voters.

Still, Seattle voters yet to cast a ballot should turn to the county drop boxes at this point to avoid any uncertainty about pick-up and postmarking.

According to King County Elections, around 30% of ballots returned so far have been delivered by mail.

Manion says King County also filed amicus briefs across three multi-state lawsuits resisting Department of Justice demands for complete, unredacted voter-registration records, arguing such orders violate privacy safeguards and overburden local officials.

The efforts are part of a broader defense against federal mandates. Earlier this year, King County and more than 70 local governments prevailed in *King County v. Turner*, where the Ninth Circuit barred the administration from conditioning $364 million in federal grants on anti-DEI, anti-immigrant, and anti-abortion policies.

CHS reported here on the major issues Capitol Hill and Central District voters will decide in Tuesday’s election including the 43rd Legislative District state Senate race between longtime incumbent Jamie Pedersen and challenger Hannah Sabio-Howell, statewide battles over Initiative 001 and Initiative 638 concerning transgender youth, public school policies, and sports, and the proposed Seattle Transit Measure 0.3% sales tax update to expand city bus service and transit access.

There are also some critical judicial branch votes to fill in. Voters in Washington have five nonpartisan State Supreme Court contests on their general election ballot. For Position 1, sitting state justice Colleen Melody faces private practice attorney Scott Edwards. For Position 3, King County judge Jaime Michelle Hawk runs against Mason County judge David Stevens. For Position 4, appeals court judge Ian Birk challenges King County judge Sean O’Donnell. For Position 5, sitting state justice Theo Angelis faces former municipal judge Dave Larson. Finally, for Position 7, sitting chief justice Debra Stephens runs against practicing tax attorney Todd Bloom.

All official ballot drop boxes statewide, including the Broadway box, close at 8 PM on Election Night. Voters submitting ballots in person must deposit them before the deadline to ensure they are counted. Details on registration, vote center assistance, and drop box locations are available via King County Elections.

$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE

Subscribe to CHS to help hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month — or choose your level of support